Hinge and partition combination



July 17, 1962 J. P. TANSEY HINGE AND PARTITION COMBINATION Filed Oct. 8, 1959 INVENTOR. dol-m P. TANsE-Y United States This invention relates to closures and, more particularly, to doors for use on partitions for toilets, showers, dressing rooms, and the like and, still more particularly, to improved hinges for use in combination therewith.

Previous doors for toilets, showers, and dressing rooms were supported on hinges which would not properly bring the doors to a closed position.

The present invention contemplates the use of an upper and a lower hinge to support a door. The invention contemplates the use, in combination, of a cam fixed to one hinge of a door to raise the door and a resilient member between the door and the other hinge thereof, the resilient member being compressed when the door is moved to open position. The stress thus induced in the resilient member urges the door toward the closed position when it is moved away from closed position.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a door and hinge combination which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and

simple and efiicient to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved door and hinge combination.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a door and hinge combination for use in washrooms and the like wherein the hinge structure itself has means thereon which urges the door toward a closed position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hinge structure which has an improved resilient closing member in combination therewith.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit thereof or from the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a view of a door and hinge combination according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the upper hinge as shown in FIG. 1.

Now with more particular reference to the drawing,

partitions are shown with doors 11 swingably connected thereto. The doors 11 maybe made of metal construction and will preferably be approximately one inch thick; however, the thickness may vary within wide limits, depending upon the installation.

Hinges 12 and 13 are attached to the partitions 10 by means of suitable screws 14 and 15. Each hinge 12 and 13 is made up of a fixed part attached to the partition 10 I and a movable part attached to the door 11. A fixed part 16 of the hinge 12 is very similar to a fixed part 17 of the hinge 13. The fixed parts 16 and 17 have spaced legs which receive the partition 10 therebetween and are connected by intermediate parts 16 and '17 which are curved to overlie a curved edge 10 of the partition 10.

Outwardly extending portions 18 and 19 of the hinges 12 and 13 are integrally connected to and make up a part of the fixed parts 16 and 17. The portions 18 and 19 are generally rectangular in cross section. The lower portion 18 has a flat top surface 20 and a threaded hole 21 therein which receives the threaded reduced size portion of a column 22. The reduced size portion of the column 22 terminatesat its upper end in "a shoulder against which a washer 23 rests. A lock nut 24 urges the washer 23 into firm engagement with the top surface 20 and, therefore, holds the column 22 in rigid firm vertical relation to the hinge 12.

The column 22 has a cylindrical cam 25 concentric thereto welded thereto at 26. The cam 25 is generally cylindrical in shape and has a cam surface 34 which is lowest on the side thereof adjacent a rear edge 27 of the door 11.

A movable hinge member 31 is generally box shaped having spaced sides 63 adapted to lie along the opposite sides of the door '11 and attached thereto by screws 66. The sides 63 are connected at the rear by a leg 32 and at the bottom by a leg 33. A leg 64 is connected to the leg 32 and to the sides 63. The column 22 extends through a bore in the leg 33 and through a bore in the leg 64. The column 2-2 also extends into a cleft in the door 11.

The door 11 has a notch defined by edges 67 and 68 cut in its lower corner. This notch receives the hinge member 31 with the leg '64 resting against the upper edge of the member 67 and the other edge of the notch being defined by the edge 68.

An axle 29 is threadably inserted in the leg 32 and it extends inwardly and has a roller bearing 28 supported thereon. The roller bearing 28 rolls on the cam surface 34. A threaded portion of the axle 29 threadably engages the leg 32. Therefore, when the door 11 is rotated to an open position, the bearing 28 rolls up the cam surface 34 and moves the door 11 upwardly.

The movable portion of the hinge 13 has two spaced flat portions 39 which lie one on each side of the door 11 and receive the door 11 therebetween. The flat portions 39 are attached to the door 11 by screws 40. The flat portions 3 9 are connected by a lateral portion 41 which lies along the rear edge of the door 11 and is contoured to lie coextensive with the rear contoured edge of the door 11. A horizontal portion 42 overlies the top edge of the door 11 and is integrally attached to the flat portions 39.

A cleft 43 is formed in the flat portions 39 and the cleft 43 is closed by web members 74, 75, and 7 6. The cleft 43 receives the portion 19 of the hinge. A portion of the hinge is bored to rotatably receive a shaft 44. The shaft 44 is received in a bore of the portion 42 of the hinge at 45 and extends downwardly into a hole 48 of a guide member 46 and has a hole 47 therein. The hole 47 receives a cotter pin which also passes through an opening in the guide member 46. The guide member 46 is integrally attached to the lateral portion 41 and to the fiat portions 39 and is spaced from the web member 75. A resilient cylindrical member 49 is received in the cleft 43 and rests between an upper flat surface 50 of the web member 75 and a lower surface 51 of the hinge 13. Metal washers 77 and 78 rest on each end of the member 49.

In operation, when the door 11 is closed, the resilient member 49 will be slightly under compression between the member 13 and the web 75. When the door 11 is swung to an open position, the bearing 28 will climb up the cam surface 34 as aforesaid and this will further compress the resilient member 49 between the surfaces 50 and 51. This will exert a downward force on the door 11 and urge the roller bearing 28 to travel down the cam surface 34 and thus urge the door 11 toward closed position.

It has been determined that the resilient member 49 must be of a particular stiffness for maximum operation and, therefore, the resilient shock absorber member'49 is preferably made up of a rubber like material having a durometer of between sixty and eighty.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in Patented Jul 17, 1962 accent)? its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims. V

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In combination, apartitiontandraidoor swingably supported on said partition by meansvof an upper and a lower hinge, said-lowerhinge .havingan upwardly disposed surface, said upper hinge having a downwardly disposed surface, a column member attached to said upwardly disposed surface and extendingrupwardly therefrom, means on said door'receiving said column member,

a can't on said column member, a follower on said door, said follower being forced upwardly moving said door upwardly when said door'is moved from a closed to an open position, and a resilient member between said downwardly disposed surface and an upwardly disposed surfaceon said door, said resilientmember-being made of arubher like material having a durometer of approximately seventy.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said resilient member is cylindrical and has an opening therein, a shaft is disposed between said downwardly disposed surface on said hinge and said upwardly disposedsurface on-said door, and said shaft extends through said opening 7 in said resilient member,

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said 'door has a cleft therein and; a shaft extends across said upper hinge and through said resilient member, said shaft being received. in a member on said door below said resilient member.

4. In combination, a partition having a pilaster and a door swinga-bly attached to said pilaster, a bottom hinge and a top hinge connecting said door to said pilaster, said bottom hinge having an upstanding column memberthereon, a bore insaid door receiving said columnmember, a slot in the upper part of said. door receiving said top hinge, a pin in said door extending through said slot and pivotally received in said top hinge, a resilient shock absorber member having a bore therein receiving said pin, said shock absorber member being disposed between said top hinge and the bottom-of'said slot, cam means on said bottom hinge, and follower means on said door, said cam means urging said follower means and said door upwardly, compressing said resilient member between said top hinge and said door whereby said door is urged toward a closed position, said resilient member being made of material having the properties of rubber having a durometer of; seventy.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

